HTDEOPHIS. 403 



Head small ; anterior part of body slender, its diameter about 

 oDe third the depth of the posterior part. Eostral broader than 

 deep ; nasals longer than the frontal, at least twice as long as the 

 suture between the praefroutals ; frontal small, as long as broad or 

 a little longer than broad, shorter than its distance from the rostral, 

 much shorter than the parietals ; one pra3- and one postocular ; 

 prf rental in contact with the second labial ; 6 or 7 upper labials, 

 second largest, third and fourth entering the eye ; a single, large 

 anterior temporal ; two pairs of subequal chin-shields, in contact 

 with each other. 33 or 35 scales round the neck, 43 or 45 round 

 the middle of the body ; scales imbricate and keeled. Ventrals 

 distinct, but feebly enlarged, 283-285. Pale greyish olive, with 

 blackish cross bands tapering on the sides. 



Total length 23 inches. 



Hub. Bay of Bengal and Straits of Malacca. 



500. Hydrophis ofoscurus. 



Russell, Ind. Serp. ii, pis. vii ( $ ) & viii ( <5 ) 



Hydrophis obscurus, Daud. Kept, vii, p. 375. 



Hydrophis cloris, Daud. t. c. p. 377, pi. xc. 



Hydrophis stricticollis, Gilnth. Rept, B. /. p. 376, pi. xxv, fig. R ; 



Anders. P. Z. 8. 1872, p. 397 ; Fayrer, Thanatoph. pi. xxviii ; 



Giinth. A. M. N. H. (4) ix, 1872, p. 33 ; Peters, MB. Ak. Berl. 



1872, p. 858. 



Head very small ; body very long, extremely slender anteriorly. 

 Eostral broader than deep ; frontal longer than broad, as long as 

 its distance from the rostral or the end of the snout ; one prae- and 

 one postocular ; a single anterior temporal ; 7 or 8 upper labials, 

 second lai'gest, third and fourth entering the eye ; two pairs of 

 chin-shields, posterior smallest and usually separated by scales. 

 34 to 40 scales round the neck, 45 to 50 round the middle of the 

 body ; scales rhomboidal, imbricate, feebly keeled in the female, 

 strongly in the male, the keels often broken up into tubercles. 

 Ventrals very feebly enlarged, longer than broad under the neck, 

 bicarinate in the male, 332-438. Olive or dark green above, with 

 yellowish cross bars, which form complete rings round the slender 

 part of the body ; on the other two thirds of the body these bands 

 are interrupted on the back ; a yellow spot on the snout and a 

 yellow streak on each side of the upper surface of the head ; young 

 with blackish rings. 



Total length 3 feet 11 inches. 



Hob. Eussell's female specimen was obtained in the Sunderbans ; 

 an almost identical specimen, presented to the British Museum by 

 Sir J. Fayrer, is from the same district. Peters records the species 

 from Madras, and Theobald obtained specimens on the coast of 

 Pegu. 



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